Insurance Services Office
At its most recent evaluation by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the Wickliffe Fire Department received a Class 3 rating. This result has a significant impact to the businesses, residents, and guests of Wickliffe.
ISO collects and evaluates information from communities in the United States on their structure fire suppression capabilities. ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade, a number from 1-10. Class 1 represents an exemplary fire suppression program and Class 10 indicates that an area’s program does not meet ISO’s minimum fire suppression criteria.
In 2015 there were 44,505 fire departments evaluated and given PPC grades nation-wide. Of those, 4,248 were Class 3 or better. That places YOUR Class 3 Wickliffe Fire Department among the TOP 9.5% of fire departments evaluated.
Public Protection Classification ratings are important to both communities and fire departments. Cities with lower PPC may see reduced fire insurance rates. PPC also provides fire departments with a valuable benchmark useful for planning, budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements.
ISO evaluates communities according to a uniform set of criteria, incorporating nationally recognized standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association and the American Water Works Association. A community’s PPC grade depends on:
- Emergency Communication
- Fire Department
- Water Supply
- Divergence
Emergency Communication includes the following:
- Communications facilities provided for the general public to report structure fires
- Enhanced 911 phone system
- Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) facilities
- Alarms received and processed at the communication center
- Trained and certified dispatchers
- Facilities used to dispatch fire department companies to reported structure fires
Fire Department involves the following factors:
- Engine/truck companies
- Reserves
- Equipment carried
- Pump capacity/ testing
- Personnel
- Training
- Operational considerations
- Response to reported structure fires
- Deployment analysis
- Community risk reduction (fire prevention/ public education)
Water Supply evaluates:
- The water system
- Hydrant size and type (848 hydrants)
- Inspection and testing of hydrants
A final factor is Divergence. It recognizes the potential for disparity between the fire department’s effectiveness and the community’s water supply. Simply stated, the best fire department is only as good as the water system that supplies it. And conversely, the best water system is only as effective as the competency of the fire department using it.
This rating is a direct reflection of the efforts and hard-work of our administration and its members. We look forward to learning from this data to improve the service we provide you and to better our rating at the next evaluation. Statistical data on insurance losses bears out the relationship between excellent fire protection, as measured by the PPC program, and low fire losses. We are grateful to the citizens and businesses of Wickliffe whose support allows us to provide this vital emergency service.